Musk even accused Lupita of losing his directorial integrity by casting her in ‘The Odyssey’, saying, “Chris Nolan has desecrated Homer’s sacred text ‘The Odyssey’ by making a black Helen of Troy in the film just to win an Oscar. You should be ashamed of yourself.”
We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.
Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o, who was embroiled in controversy over her portrayal of Helen in Christopher Nolan's film 'The Odyssey', has responded to her critics.
Nolan, who directed the film 'The Odyssey', which is set to be released on July 17, also wrote the screenplay based on the Greek poet Homer's epic poem 'The Odyssey'. The Nolan couple are also among the producers of Nolan's most expensive film to date. The big budget film, made at $25 million, stars Matt Damon, Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Robert Pattinson, Zendaya and other actors in the main roles. But the controversy is currently over the casting of Lupita, who is considered the most beautiful woman in the world, Helen. In the film, she plays both Helen and her sister.
Billionaire Elon Musk initially criticized the casting of black ‘Twelve Years a Slave’ star Lupita Nyong’o in the mythological character. Musk criticized Nolan for hypocrisy in casting Helen of Troy in the film ‘The Odyssey.’ Responding to a post by political analyst Matt Walls, Musk said, ‘Casting a black woman in the role of a white woman in a fundamental work of European literature is the same as casting a white man in the role of a tyrant.’
Musk also accused Lupita Nyong’o of losing his directorial integrity by casting her in ‘The Odyssey,’ saying, ‘Chris Nolan has desecrated Homer’s sacred text, ‘The Odyssey,’ by casting a black Helen of Troy in the film just to win an Oscar. You should be ashamed.’ Musk is the same director who cast a majority of white actors in his Oscar-winning film ‘Oppenheimer.’
Musk’s comments sparked a heated debate on the subject. While social media users, especially white people, are siding with Musk, most filmmakers are defending director Nolan’s work and actress Lupita. Actor Alec Baldwin defended Lupita on social media, declaring her to be ‘the most beautiful woman in the world.’
As criticism mounted, actress Lupita also spoke out in response. ‘Yes, it’s a myth, I’m a big fan of director Chris’s intention and the new way he’s trying to tell the story,’ Oscar-winning Lupita said, ‘The casting in the film represents the whole world. So I don’t want to waste my time commenting on it or defending it further. Whether I'm in it or not, there will be criticism.' Still, she said that being a part of the film is a matter of pride for her.
Lupita, who won several important awards, including an Oscar for supporting actress, for her first film 'Twelve Years a Slave', expressed disappointment that she has not been offered a dynamic role in the 12 years since then. The actress, who has given hits like 'Us', 'Black Panther', 'The Wild Robot' and 'A Quiet Place: Day One', added, 'Most of the roles I was offered were slave women, which was both disappointing and surprising for me.'
But she is very excited about the character in 'The Odyssey'. 'It's a matter of pride to be a part of a film based on a great book like the Odyssey. It will help make the world more diverse,' the 43-year-old actress added, 'That's why this kind of casting was done. We are also part of the poetic reading of this time.’
Reacting to Musk’s statement, American actress Whoopi Goldberg also said, ‘You don’t actually have to go see this movie. I don’t think you need to talk about this. If you’re so concerned about where we’re going or about the appearance of people, I would suggest you look at your own face first.’
